Fels, who was previously Business Unit Director at 34 and responsible for handling SAB and Foodcorp, has strong experience in strategic brand management, and more recently extensive experience in core shopper marketing, consumer engagement and sales promotions.

In his capacity as Deputy Managing Director, Fels will focus on driving the integration of the specialist business divisions within MACHINE, fostering the growth of the inherent strategic abilities and, in turn selling this turnkey solution to the agency’s existing and potential clients.

‘I believe MACHINE is perfectly poised to be everything a modern communications agency should be’, commented Fels, ‘We offer all the necessary tools to connect and engage consumers, change behaviour, build brands and entrench loyalty. It’s an incredibly exciting time to join the agency and apply my experience and skills to achieving that vision’.

‘Tom brings a wealth of experience to MACHINE having worked on big integrated BTL work, both locally and internationally, and on some of the world’s biggest brands’, said Adrian Hewlett, CEO MACHINE. ‘

In the first month he has already demonstrated an amazing impact on the team and brings additional firepower in our ability to offer a unique offering to the local brand industry. Perhaps most importantly to our business, Tom has joined us with a shared vision and culture for both how we work with clients and how we grow our staff – getting this right can only drive success for MACHINE’, concluded Hewlett.

The team at Publicis Machine, SA’s leading integrated communications agency is fast earning a reputation for creating great television commercials that effectively interpret the client brief, while resonating with consumers.

Publicis Machine scooped a coveted D&AD Pencil Award for its Play-Doh ‘Cookies’ ad in the Poster category in the D&AD international creative awards for 2016 - one of only two Yellow and 11 Wood pencils to be won by South African agencies. The announcement was made at the awards ceremony in London, last Thursday evening (19 May 2016).

Just one month following the much-talked-about acquisition and subsequent merger, digital powerhouse Publicis Machine has added two of the country’s top digital minds to bolster its already formidable team.

MACHINE, the award winning integrated agency, was tasked with launching the new website in a way that not only captured the imagination of the audience (both retail and public), but also showcased the many beautiful brands supplied by Prima Toys.

Tasked with creating an innovative and engaging gift for the attendees of the annual Habari Media Tuongee symposium, Machine produced a bespoke gift box that was not only useful and beautiful but that also heightened anticipation surrounding the exclusive networking weekend.

The team at MACHINE is drinking a well-deserved toast to yet another victory, having won the Miller Genuine Draft BTL account in a competitive four way pitch. This sees MACHINE complete a trio of hot wins after snagging both the Nando’s digital account and integrated project work for Adidas.

MACHINE, the 2013 Ad Review Breakthrough Agency of the Year, continues to grow from strength to strength, prompting an upstaffing to bolster the already formidable team in the Johannesburg office.
The agency, which is only in its second year of operation, has grown by a whopping 42% this year. With a staff complement of 95 across Joburg and Cape Town, and clients including Miller Genuine Draft, Red Bull, Citroen and L’Oreal, the agency is already the country’s fourth biggest independent advertising agency – and getting bigger every day.

MACHINE recently launched this year’s ingenious Marmite Halloween tactical campaign, ‘Don’t be afraid of the Dark’, which encourages people to be brave and try the original dark stuff, because there really isn’t anything to be afraid of.

Consumers are creatures of habit when buying food, a survey by Answered, the research arm of digital agency Machine has found.
“Consumers typically have a brand repertoire when they shop as a means of ‘survival’, owning to the massive brand options available when browsing in-store,” says Adrian Hewlett, the agency’s CEO.
They conducted an online poll last month to test the South African consumer’s relationship with food brands and advertising.

Fels, who was previously Business Unit Director at 34 and responsible for handling SAB and Foodcorp, has strong experience in strategic brand management, and more recently extensive experience in core shopper marketing, consumer engagement and sales promotions.
In his capacity as Deputy Managing Director, Fels will focus on driving the integration of the specialist business divisions within MACHINE, fostering the growth of the inherent strategic abilities and, in turn selling this turnkey solution to the agency’s existing and potential clients.

McPherson, ex Ogilvy Cape Town Group Creative Head, has over 11 years of experience working across blue-chip brands such as Volkswagen, Kraft Foods, Castle, Carling Black Label, BP, and Castrol. He is the recipient of numerous prestigious local and international awards, including Loeries, One Show, Cannes, D&AD, Clios, Eagles, and Apex.

Machine is made up of four complementary divisions;
Creature, the incentive and activation division; Big Wednesday, a full service above the line advertising agency; Domino, a digital agency with a lead in social media; and, Answered, the online market research division.

Machine has offices in Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Nairobi and is part of the Habari Group.